Telesat expands Lightspeed capacity by 44% after securing $1.93bn Arctic military satcom contract

Telesat has secured a new government contract for its planned Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) network.

The Canadian satellite firm has announced the signing of a 15-year C$2.3 billion (US$1.65B) contract with Canada’s Defence Investment Agency (DIA) on military Ka-band (Mil-Ka) Arctic connectivity at 65 to 90 degrees North latitude for the Canadian Armed Forces under its Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar (ESCP-P) program through the Telesat Lightspeed LEO constellation beginning in 2028.

– Telesat

The contract features two five-year option periods, each valued at US$143.44 million, for a total contract value of US$1.93bn.

“This contract represents a step change in the scale and commercial potential of Telesat Lightspeed,” said Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s president and CEO, in a statement. “The significant expansion of our constellation, combined with burgeoning demand for secure satellite communications worldwide, positions us to accelerate the growth of our business while serving the evolving and mission-critical requirements of defence and commercial customers.”